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A few weeks ago, we ran a post about kickstarting a new, green 2012. These basic, eco-friendly decisions were meant to brush the dust off our green attitudes and start the new year off on the right foot.

The three green 2012 kickoffs were walking anywhere, buying a reusable water bottle, and shopping with non-plastic bags. After only a few weeks, my green scorecard is more than lopsided.

The Event: Walking anywhere.

The Score: B-
The Explanation: While some members of my family have happily started walking more, we’ve mostly been walking to keep the pounds off and to bring more relaxation into our lives, rather than walking to anywhere specific. We’ve walked to close neighbors’ houses rather than taking the car. Since I work in walkable distance, I’ve started to walk to work at least once a week. Provided I’m able to leave the office during daylight hours, this works fine.

The Event: Cloth Shopping Bags

The Score: D
The Explanation: Remember the reusable bags. This should be easy, right?  However, it always seems that I’ve forgotten them at home – and so,  I easily contribute to the billion wasted plastic shopping bags a year. The best that can be said is that we’re able to get a lot of use out of them as garbage liners or puppy scoopers. Still, there’s a lot of room for improvement on this one, because I don’t want to become one of the shoppers responsible for the huge number of shopping bags in landfills. Once I travel again, I look forward to having a few empty bags with me for random purchases.

The Event: Buying a reusable water bottle.

The Score: A
The Explanation: I was able to find a BPA-free water bottle at a fairly inexpensive price (green on two counts!) and, even though it’s huge, I’m happy to take it with me everywhere. It holds 32 ounces of water, so one fill-up stops me from adding four, eight-ounce plastic water bottles to a landfill. But will I be able to keep it up? Absolutely. I just make sure that it’s always by the front door and ready to go before I leave the house. (I’ve taken this water bottle with me on a few trips recently and it’s held up quite nicely.)

How about you? Did you walk more places? Did the reusable bags make it with you into the store or did you (like me) forget them at home? Did you always remember the water bottle? How has your Green 2012 Kickoff held up?

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Paul A Hernandez

Green travel can be divided up into three camps: the beginners, the intermediates, and the heavyweights. Where do you fit in – and how can you improve your green travel habits?

Eco-Friendly Products

Are You a Beginner?

Beginners recycle only sometimes while at home, if they can find the bin. Maybe you’ve forgotten to inflate your tires if you’re traveling by car, or you’ve forgotten to book a nonstop flight because it will use less C02 then a plane trip that will take several stops. A good way for the beginners to move up to the intermediate level? Look into carbon credits and never leave home without the water bottle.

Are You an Intermediate?

If you’re at the intermediate level of green travel, you use carbon credits to offset major plane trips and your road trip tires are always inflated. You always use stainless steel water bottles when on long trips. When traveling by plane, you remember to book a nonstop flight and also know the importance of only packing what you need. A good way for intermediates to move up to the heavyweight level? Continue to stay aware of ways to go green, no matter where you are. Make sure that you’re aware of national directories that can support all kinds of green travel.

Are You a Heavyweight?

Wow! Not only do you use carbon credits to offset trips, but you’re able to stay aware throughout your green vacation, perhaps thanks to organizations like Sustainable Travel International. Your knack for recycling doesn’t go on a holiday when you do. No, you’re able to find recycling bins within a ten-foot radius of your hotel. Renting a car? Not if you can find suitable public transport or a fantastic car-sharing program. If you’re on a camping trip, you follow the green camping golden rule: only remove what you brought with you. Most importantly? You’re always willing to learn more – and make personal adjustments that can help you find your individual eco-friendly path.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo By Sommer Poquette

It’s fall and  that means all things cinnamon, cool, crisp, and warm. Fall means green soups, herbs, and wonderful smells. It also means autumn snacks. Some of these snacks even pack well for a yummy travel snack.

There’s a lot that you can do with organic apples. One of my favorite recipes is to slice up an organic apple, drizzle honey or agave nectar on the slices, and sprinkle it with cinnamon and nutmeg. The smells are sharp and sweet. This recipe, minus the honey or agave, also travels well in baggies for a healthy on-the-go treat. Consider making a small salad of apples and figs as well.

Avocados are currently in season in Florida and California. Cubed avocado mixed with other veggies can travel well in a small food container, provided that you’re in a cool environment. Sliced avocado brings a creamy taste to any sandwich. It also has a valuable fat content, can decrease your bad cholesterol, and is high in fiber. Yum!

Organic squash is my other all-time favorite from the fall produce lineup. A popular online recipe is for butternut squash “fries.” Take butternut squash, slice it up in thin fry-like rows, season it well, and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. While not a grab-on-the-go recipe, these are great as leftovers.

Celebrate autumn with these wonderful fall recipes.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by La Grande Farmers’ Market

Is your green hotel really green? Or is your hotel merely trying to dip into the pond of eco-travel? Here are some tips to separate the truly eco-friendly from the environmental pretenders.

Local Staff

A good sign of an eco-friendly lodging is to find out if the people employed by the hotel are locals. Are the tour guides and trail leaders ‘locally grown’? This is a key way for green hotels to give back. A good eco-friendly hotel should make the most of community involvement. Does the staff seem knowledgeable about the eco-friendly policies of their establishment?

Water

Several hotels give you the option to reuse towels and thus, conserve laundry (and valuable energy and water). When searching for a green hotel, be sure to find out more about their water conservation policies. Are there water saving devices such as water sensors or lo-flow shower heads installed in the bathrooms? Does the hotel kitchen use similar devices? Of course, make sure that you’re also staying aware of how much water you’re using, but make sure that the eco-friendly hotel supports your water-lovin’ efforts.

Recycling

Most hotels and business establishments recycle these days. Still, dig a little deeper and get curious. What kind of recycling does your green hotel do? Do they recycle paper or aluminum? Does the hotel or lodging participate in a carbon offset program?

Food

One of the best things about vacation is the food. However, make sure that the hotel you’re considering uses either organic or locally grown produce whenever possible.

By Marissa Cohen

Eating Green on Labor Day – Veggie Burger

We’ve already talked about ways to green up your Labor Day plans. You can do this whether or not you decide to travel or stay home. Sometimes the best cookouts can happen while you’re on vacation. In any cookout, though, the biggest and most important thing is the food, of course. Half the fun of Labor Day is the smell of burgers, hot dogs and other deliciousness. (And as a reminder, make sure you’re grilling your food with eco-friendly charcoal and grilling on a gas grill.)

Burgers and Hot Dogs

If you want to stick with the traditional red-meat burgers, try to find grass-fed, free-range meats so that you’re not injesting hormones. Want a non-meat option for Labor Day? Ditch the cheeseburgers and hot dogs and try vegan patties, gardenburgers, or veggie dogs, most of which can be thrown on the grill. If you want to skip dairy, several food brands make soy or rice cheese. I can tell you that this rice cheese  is delicious on top of any kind of veggie burger and melts just like dairy-based cheese.

Sides

For organic fruits and veggies, such as apples, tomatoes, squash, peppers, berries, and other in-season produce. Another great tip? Grilling produce is not only cheaper than spending money on red meat, but it’s also great for the environment. Try grilled apples or watermelon. Not sure what to do with fruit and veggie scraps? Use them for compost.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by Dano

Now that you have some green cleaning car tips, it’s also important to know how to give your car eco-friendly love. There’s plenty we can do to conserve resources while still having a great family road trip.

Don’t Let the Car Sit

It’s typical of any family vacation. One of the kids forgets something and runs back to the house to get it. Maybe your son forgot a favorite magazine or your husband forgot his eco-friendly phone charger. They jump out of the car to go get it – and the car is still running. In order to reduce the amount of carbon emissions caused by this, turn off the car when someone goes on a pre-vacation dash back into the house.

Pile ‘em In

While cars overstuffed with relatives is truly the stuff of hilarious vacation stories, there’s an up side to cramming yourself into a car with Great-Aunt Edna and Cousin Charley – you’ll use less carbon emissions and the decision to carpool is kinder on the environment.

Clean it Out

Believe it or not, all that accumulated car trash from the week can add weight to your car, making it use more fuel and release more carbon emissions into the air. Want to save some gas? Toss the car trash. Keep a bag for compost (food scraps) in the car so that your fruit and veggie peels can be used to help a garden grow. Also consider keeping a bag just for recycling and empty it into a recycle bin.

Check the Tires

Car experts advise that you check your tire pressure once a week to make sure that tires are inflated properly. The more deflated your tires are, the more gas you’ll use. If your tires don’t have the right pressure, your car’s fuel consumption can feel the impact.

Offset the Trip

Check carbon offsetting sites like Terrapass in order to find ways to offset the cost of your car trips. The environment will thank you!

Photo by Wetwebwork

by Marissa Cohen

The lighter your suitcase, the less fuel your plane (or car or train) will have to use, and the less carbon dioxide emissions will get released into the air. That’s a standard green travel fact. Another travel fact is that we need things to do whether in the air or on the road. (I’m an avid reader, so the idea of traveling for hours with nothing to read can make me want to pull out my hair and start memorizing the in-flight magazine.). Gone are the days of packing several thick novels or huge books of cds to entertain us on the road. Nearly everyone has either an iPod, Kindle, or Smartphone these days. But how can you use your travel gadgets the green way?

Only Bring One or Two Bags

If you want to have a lighter suitcase, it only makes sense to bring one or two gadgets. For example, smart phones can often take photos or function as a digital reader, two possible reasons to leave the camera or Kindle (or paper books) home.
Your suitcase will be lighter and you won’t have to charge extra gadgets.

Batteries

Hunt up a good rechargeable battery pack. Many lines offer eco-friendly batteries. Also, consider investing in carbon neutral batteries. Even eco-friendly laptop batteries are available. And here’s an awesome travel concept – this rechargeable AA battery charges itself in any USB port .

Solar Chargers

Another green choice is to pick up a solar charger. Several kinds are available online and are often a practical and green choice. Most chargers can also be charged through a USB port to keep your electronic devices going during your trip.

By Marissa Cohen

I was packing for a cross-country airplane trip when I realized that I just didn’t need those four extra dresses when one would do.  There are many benefits to traveling light. Not only will you avoid having to sit on your suitcase to close it, but by only packing what you need, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint. Here’s how it works. The heavier your suitcase is or the more suitcases you bring, the more fuel that car, train, or plane will need to use and the more carbon dioxide emissions are produced. In order to shrink your carbon footprint, follow these simple travel tips.

Carry It On

Airport luggage fees can get sticky, so aim to pack light. It will save you money and stress. No more frantically trying to find your luggage at a busy, jam-packed baggage claim! Better yet, see if you can pack everything you need in a small suitcase or backpack and only bring a carryon.

 Reuse and Reduce

Pack items that can be used for more than one thing. For example, consider bringing along a scarf that’s also big enough to be used as a shawl. Bring reusable water bottles or shopping bags. Bring only two kinds of shoes if you can help it – one for play and one for a night on the town.

Bring It

To save money, pack green or sustainable toiletries with you (shampoo can go in travel bottles) to avoid having to repurchase an entire bottle for travel use or worse, have to go trolling through the dollar bin for non-green items. Remember to make sure your travel bottles are two ounces or smaller and then fill them up with your favorite green body washes, shampoos, and conditioners.

Clothing

Pack clothes that are similar colors. That way, outfit planning can be easy. Rather than stacking clothing, roll wrinkle-free outfits up in order to save suitcase space.

By Marissa Cohen

Photo  by kthrn

Nothing says summer vacation like carefully packing for some much needed rest. After purchasing your airplane tickets and checking the TSA regulations, what’s left? Make sure that you’re staying green, even in the friendly skies, with these easy to follow tips.

Fly Nonstop

If possible, choose a direct flight instead of one with a lot of layovers or stops along the way. Why? A direct flight burns a lot less gas than a trip with many flights involved.

Water

Staying hydrated, especially on planes, is always important. However, remember that you can’t bring the plastic water bottle on the plane with you, so may as well pack your own refillable water bottle. Looking to find one suitable for green travel? Try the Klean Kanteen water bottle or other kinds of water bottles that are also toxin and BPA free.

Travel Light

Packing light is a great way to make your vacation green. For one thing, if you just bring a carry-on or small backpack, you’ll save in baggage fees. Plus, the less baggage a flight carries, the less fuel it burns and the less carbon dioxide that plane will use.  So in order to fly green, only pack what you really need and choose lightweight fabrics (perhaps made of green materials like hemp or bamboo).

By Marissa Cohen

Photo by aMichiganMom

The Desoto Inn is right on Hollywood Beach, giving guests a perfect opportunity to grab one of our free bikes and take a ride down the boardwalk for some seaside fun. Want to continue your green experience on the sand? Then make sure to take these beach supplies with you.

Water Bottles

Florida heat can be intense, so be sure to stay hydrated and pack a few water bottles. However, stay away from the plastic water bottles, if possible…or if you really want to go with plastic, do some research on the different types of plastic bottles. Consider switching to a glass or steel water bottle.

Green Towels

When drying off from a refreshing swim or laying out on the beach, try to avoid beach towels made from non-organic cotton. Instead, consider organic cotton or bamboo towels. Several online retailers now stock towels made from bamboo or organic cotton. Ready to recycle or reuse old, non-organic, ratty towels? Consider making them into reusable beach bags or cutting them up into rags.

Green Screen

You’d think that sunscreen would automatically be safe, wouldn’t you? After all, it’s whole purpose is to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. However, when sunscreen isn’t green, the chemicals can be dangerous both for marine life and our bodies  Avoid sunscreens that contain paraben and instead focus on screens with milder preservatives like sodium benzoate and stick with mineral-based sunblocks such as zinc oxide.

By Marissa Cohen